Signs of Love
by JoeyBear1424
Summary: "I love ye." Bofur whispers and turns towards the tree, an ornament in hand. There are no amounts of words he can use to describe how much he loves Bilbo. No amount of sign language he can use either to say it. Deaf Bilbo


Bofur's face hurts from smiling so much. He sits on the couch, a blanket wrapped around his shoulders as he nurses his drink of peppermint tea. His gaze is on Bilbo who's dancing around their apartment, humming happily as he opens boxes of ornaments. There's a smile on his face as he does so and Bofur chuckles as he stops to sign happily to Bofur.

"Come here." Bilbo signs and gesturing towards himself and then towards the tree.

"Want me to help decorate the tree?" Bofur speaks slowly to allow Bilbo to read his lips. His hearing aids are in but Bofur knows his boyfriend well enough to know that when Bilbo's this excited he doesn't listen much. Bofur doesn't mind though and finds it endearing as Bilbo pulls him up from the couch, handing over a box of ornaments.

"You're adorable." Bofur praises and presses a whiskery kiss to Bilbo's cheek. To his delight Bilbo's shoulders scrunch up, his nose wrinkling. As Bilbo dances down the hallway for more ornaments Bofur stares after him, something shifting in his chest as he stares at the bounce in Bilbo's step.

"I love ye." Bofur whispers and turns towards the tree, an ornament in hand. There are no amounts of words he can use to describe how much he loves Bilbo. No amount of sign language he can use either to say it. When Bofur had come to his brother a little over three years ago, hopelessly in love and in desperate need of a way to get the deaf man to notice him Bombur had only shrugged. Food he suggested. The way to a man's heart is through his stomach Bombur's wife had agreed. So Bofur had turned to Bifur.

Bifur had taken him to the sign language classes he was attending and together the two practiced what they learned. While Bofur was not as fast a learner as he would have liked it had its desired results. He and Bilbo began to talk. Bilbo's hands flew rapidly as he signed while Bofur's hands were slower, clumsy and unsure of the signs. There had been no mocking from the smaller man who patiently sat by and watched him with a smile on his face.

When Bofur had asked him out on a date his hands had practically shook and he cleared his throat, over and over as he looked away from Bilbo. His answer had been a vigorous nod as the curly haired man practically knocked him over with a hug. Things had nearly gone perfect except for the fact that Bofur had chosen the movies. Not only that but he'd picked a horror movie. Bilbo spent most of the date with his face buried in Bofur's chest, his face flushed red as Bofur held him close. He braced himself for Bilbo to politely turn him down. But as the end credits rolled Bilbo's face pressed against his chest was smiling, his shoulders shaking with silent laughter as he smiled at Bofur.

"No more," Bilbo signed. "No more."

"Aye. No more." Bofur agreed and let his shoulders sag with relief as Bilbo asked him if he could take him to dinner.

A tug on his arm pulls him from his thoughts and Bofur realizes that he's been staring at their mini tree with the ornament still in hand. Bilbo's staring at him with concern, his brow furrowed as he pets Bofur's arms.

"I'm fine. Just thinking of how we met." Bofur promises. A thrill of happiness runs through him as Bilbo blushes to the roots of his curly blonde hair. This was one of the many things he found endearing about Bilbo. The first time he'd taken him to meet his family Bilbo had stood wide eyed as his nieces and nephews bombarded him with questions. Bombur and his wife had done their best to wrangle their children in but they kept asking questions: 'could he really not hear, did it hurt when he lost his hearing, what was it like?' Bilbo had stood there with wide eyes as he struggled to take in all the questions at once, his hands shaking as they attempted to sign an answer. It was Bifur who shooed them away and pulled Bilbo over to the couch, sitting him down and beginning a conversation. Bofur teased Bifur that his cousin had hogged him. But it had made his heart swell to see their hands fly as the two of them conversed and the way Bifur's eyes crinkled at the edge each time Bilbo taught him something new.

His nieces and nephews enjoyed the praise they received when they got a sign right or asked Bilbo a question about how to do one. They learned to slow down while talking so he could actually read their lips and taught them their names in sign language, something the children delighted in knowing.

Those were the times his family had delighted in the most. For Bofur he delighted in seeing Bilbo sleeping. He took up half the bed, his limbs sprawled this way and that. His curls would be a tangled mess upon waking up. When he awoke he would roll over and nose Bofur's neck until he woke up. The two would lie there then, nose to nose, Bilbo's fingers signing onto his face. Love you was the most common one. Bofur knows when they wake up tomorrow it will be the one used.

But for now they're awake and walking hand in hand towards their favorite restaurant. Even though Bilbo and his hands are gloved, it still sends his heart a flutter to be holding his hand and he smiles each time Bilbo looks at him. He knows when they finally arrive; Bilbo will practically tackle Ori in a hug as he tells him all about the tree. And when they're seated any menus will be ignored and pushed towards him because Bilbo's known what he wants since he got up this morning. Bilbo will let out his version of a squeal as they bring his strawberry pancakes and bat Bofur's hand away as he steals one. But as Bofur looks back down as his plate he'll notice that he's missing one of his sausages.

And in the morning when Bilbo wakes up it's to Bofur nosing his neck for once. He rolls over to the sight of Bofur bleary eyed and his hair splayed across the pillow like a fan. His fingers trace the curve of Bilbo's stomach and he can feel his fingers signing 'love you' over and over.

* * *

><p>I love me some Boffins. What can I say?<p> 


End file.
